


One Hell of A Spouse

by DesperatelyObsessional



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Ciel is confused as hell, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Hell is getting world built, Humor, Sebastian is petty, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-03-28 03:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13894854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesperatelyObsessional/pseuds/DesperatelyObsessional
Summary: "Sebastian loves cats to spite my mother," the woman said, rolling her eyes, "You'd think he'd be kinder to his mother-in-law and her obsession with Hell Hounds, but alas... he loves being petty."--Or, in which Sebastian has a mate, who'd been too busy in hell to come and visit.





	1. Retirement

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'd written something like this before and I thought I could do better, so here we are. I'm almost definitely going to add to this, but if the response is really poor, I'll likely just lay around and mope.
> 
> Let me know if you have any fun ideas of what should happen next!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry that this is such trash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> House Phantomhive gets a visitor.

With a confused frown, Tanaka opened the manor’s door; they hadn’t been expecting a guest this afternoon. He expected that it would likely be a servant or a vendor who’d forgotten to go around to the more private back entrance.

Instead, standing on the front steps was a well-dressed woman.

In a large, intricate canary yellow gown, embroidered with silver thread and shining with dozens of grey velvet bows, and a skirt full enough to be worthy of a royal visit, she definitely wasn’t a misguided servant.

“Hello,” she greeted with accented English. It almost sounded Russian, but deeper, more of a constant purr than an accent.

She was clearly a foreigner. Not only because of her implacable accent, but her skin was tanned a warm caramel. A complexion that was definitely not the pale cream of most English.

Tanaka briefly wondered if she was here for Prince Soma.

“Good Afternoon,” Tanaka greeted with a bow, knowing by experience that it was better to go along such things, until one knew what was going on, “Please, come in.”

She smiled at him, eyes crinkling as she tilted her head in a motion Tanaka inexplicably found familiar. “Thank you.”

Tanaka stepped aside, holding the door open farther to allow her entrance. Gracefully, she lifted her heavy skirt and stepped inside, dipping her head as she did so, demurely hiding her face as she stepped over the threshold.

Expecting to see a slew of servants and a coach in the driveway awaiting instructions, Tanaka looked past her into the front year, only to see an empty path.

_How?_

As if she’d read his mind, she answered his question, facing away from Tanaka as she inspected manor’s foyer “My driver left after dropping me off, if that’s alright? He knows when he has to return. I don’t like much hassle when traveling.”

Tanaka couldn’t help but think, _your dress sure says differently._ Anyone who wore that to visit an _Earl_ quite obviously _loved_ hassle.

Tanaka gave a polite reassuring, “Of course.”

All the while suppressing a prickly feeling that _something wasn’t right_.

 Closing the door, Tanaka finally prodded at the specific details of her visit. “I’m sorry Miss. I’m afraid I wasn’t made aware of your visit. Would you be so kind as to explain the nature of your visit?”

She turned to face him, a quick, immediate motion, finally allowing Tanaka a proper look at the woman.

“Oh, right. Sorry. I forget you humans, don’t see auras. I’m Countess Yelizaveta. I’m here to discuss something with the master of the house. If you wouldn’t mind taking me to the Earl?”

She gave him a sheepish closed-mouth smile.

Tanaka frowned, looking at her with wary eyes trying to figure out just _what was wrong with the woman_.

The woman- Countess Yelizaveta- had dark hair, a glossy blue-black swirl of curls crowning the top of her head in a fashionable up-do. Her wide, round eyes were a dark color, too far away for his old eyes to discern.

Her nobility was not apparent in her features- she didn’t have a soft chin or fat collecting around her cheeks- due to her sharply defined face. High cheekbones, a straight nose, and hollow cheeks were carved from her face, more resembling a Venetian statue than a person of leisure.

She was beautiful. In an unnaturally still way.

A member of the merchant class, married into nobility, Tanaka decided, knowing that was likely the cause of her poor manners and odd behavior.

Tanaka bowed again, visibly pretending everything was okay, smiling politely, “If you’d follow me, Countess Yelizaveta. I’ll take you to the library, and ask the Earl to join you.”

She dipped her head in ascent, before following Tanaka. Her heels clicked sharp staccato beats as they walked across the tiled floor. Her footsteps remained even, more regular than the best drummer was capable of, despite traveling up the stairs in between.

When they reached the library, Tanaka held the door open with a polite smile. She floated inside, daintily tilting her head to look at the vast bookcases.

“The Earl will be with you momentarily. Please take the moment to find literature of your liking,” Tanaka said, excusing himself.

“Thank you,” she answered, her accent still implacable, as she walked towards a bookshelf.

With a firm click, Tanaka shut the door, finally allowing a worried frown to appear on his face.

_How… odd._

\--

The young Earl Phantomhive frowned at Tanaka, processing the information.

For now, they’d assume she was Russian, since her family name clearly was, even though her accent and skin tone spoke rather differently.

“Countess?” Ciel questioned, leaning forward, “She didn’t offer anything else?”

Tanaka shook his head.

The issue with introducing herself as a Russian countess is that, while the title held veritable weight in England, it meant very little in her home country. Most Russian nobles held that title. Which meant she could be anyone, a favorite of the Grand Duchess herself, or a forgotten inheritor in the back waters of Siberia

Any decent Russian diplomat would _know_ this, and discretely flash some reassurance, a seal or a letter of recommendation.

It was basic diplomacy (the Earl was assuming the countess was reaching out to him due to him being the Queen’s watch dog, rather than a toy maker) not to mention etiquette.

This blunder, coupled with the fact she hadn’t announced her arrival several days in advance, an action edging the line of scandalous, had Ciel certain the woman had malicious intentions.

“And where is Sebastian?” Ciel asked. The butler’s absence was almost an afterthought, as the Earl mentally flipped through his list of enemies.

“Running errands in London, my Lord,” Tanaka answered.

Ciel nodded, standing up, reaching for his cane, and straightening his coat. “Very well. She’s in the library?” his voice was dry, but his fingers twitched around his cane eagerly.

Just before he left, Ciel grabbed his pistol, tucking the small machine into his inner coat pocket, knowing he’d likely not use it, but just in case.

Tanaka nodded, dutifully leading the way to the Earl.

As they walked, the Lord Phantomhive gave his orders.

“Inform Baldroy that no one is to leave the grounds without my express permission. When her carriage returns- if it does- I want that carriage driver. Tell Finnian to break its wheels if he had to. Mey-Rin should enter the room regularly; she might feel more at ease with another woman present.”

The two of them came to a stop in front of the library door.

“And when Sebastian comes back, ask him to make me dessert. I’m feeling peckish,” Ciel threw over his shoulder, while gesturing for Tanaka to leave.

After giving a short bow, the elderly man turned, leaving to distribute his Master’s orders.

Alone, the Phantomhive family head looked at the library door, unable to suppress the smirk that was on his face. This was much more fun than doing paperwork.

“Let’s see how this goes,” Ciel rolled his shoulders, “She could be telling the truth.”

The idea was amusingly ridiculous.

He hadn’t become the Queen’s Guard Dog by being an idiot.

Placing a pleasant smile on his face, Ciel opened the door, immediately spotting the woman. Tanaka hadn’t been lying; she stood out like a garishly bright chandelier amongst the deep, dull colors of the library.

The countess had been facing him, as if she’d been paying attention to the creaking wood as he’d gotten closer. Another sign she wasn’t a regular noble: those of the pampered, weak-chinned upper classes tended to be deaf to such useless things.

“Earl Phantomhive. Look at you, so cute,” she greeted with a coo, smiling brightly.

It was simultaneously the fakest and the most convincing smile Ciel had seen.

It made her dark eyes curve and glitter from the light streaming through the large windows behind her, yet, it didn’t emphasize any laugh lines, like this was the first time her skin had ever been stretching in such a way.

Ciel maintained his polite smile, despite her oddity, “Countess…”

“Yelizaveta. But, you, child, can call me Alani, yes?” she offered, stepping forward with a book in her hands.

“Thank you.”

Ciel didn’t offer her the use of his Christian name, in return. It was an utterly useless knock to the status quo to have her call him a title, but every victory tended to count in situations like this.

“I was just admiring your library. It’s quite extensive.”

Ciel clicked his cane, turning to look at the many shelves of books, “Those who understand the importance of knowledge hold an incalculable advantage over their peers.”

She released a soft laugh, a twinkling thing that warmed Ciel’s stomach, “Being intelligent doesn’t give you an advantage. It merely unveils new opponents, offers a harder board upon which to play.”

 Ciel kept his eyes on the shelves, making himself appear at ease, “I suppose, I’ll concede to your point.”

She sighed, a high light sound, clutching a hand to her chest, “So polite, too. I see why he’s stuck around so long.”

Ciel looked at her with a confused expression.

_What?_

He shook it off, changing the subject, “Alani. I’m afraid I’m quite confused…regarding your visit.”

The Countess stepped forward again, an apologetic hum leaving her throat. Her hands fluttered all over as she explained,

“I apologize, Earl Phantomhive, for causing you stress. I think I’ve been rude unknowingly, but you must understand, I only had a few hours available, and it took a while to find you. He stopped sending me post-cards about a decade ago. You tease him about it once, and he throws a fit for the next ten years. Honestly, who is that petty?”

Ciel’s mouth opened, ready to ask _what the bloody hell she was talking about_ -

When, Mey-Rin walked in, pushing a cart of delicate China.

“My Lord, I made you and your guest some Oolong tea,” the maid greeted.

After a brief assessment of Ciel (insuring he wasn’t injured), Mey-Rin’s eyes didn’t stray from the intruder.

“Thank you, Mey-Rin. Alani, would you like to try?” Ciel offered.

The Countess nodded, looking excited “Sure, the last time I had tea, was two centuries ago, the French Alps. It was so creamy. I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth for weeks.”

Mey-Rin looked at Ciel with wide eyes, and Ciel waved it off.

He was so done.

The woman was psychotic.

It was fact.

The maid asked the woman a couple questions regarding milk, sugar, and honey, and Ciel took the pause to look over the Countess.

She was tall. Much taller than himself, and definitely taller than Mey-Rin; if he’d have to guess, she’d likely be around Sebastian’s atrocious height. However, while his butler’s height was emphasized by a lean body, made of hard lines and lean muscle, making him seem even taller than he was; she almost seemed shorter than she was.

Her body was made out of extreme curves. Her long, slim neck curved out to strong, broad shoulders. Not exactly masculine or unsightly, but definitely not the slim, drooping shoulders of typical feminine beauties. They spoke of a strength he’d seen only in Marchioness Francis and Mey-Rin.

Yet, her waist was small. Almost comically so. Her ribcage narrowed dramatically, tapering down to half its size, something rarely managed even by those young ladies of the ton, who tortured themselves with bone-breaking corsets.

It was odd, because even the Marchioness and Mey-Rin had to decide between having a lean frame or a slim waist. One couldn’t have both.

Muscle or beauty were the options and somehow the woman had achieved extremes of both.

“And you, sir?” Mey-Rin asked, gently shaking him out of his inspection.

“Two spoons of sugar and quite a few dashes of milk,” Ciel answered.

The maid nodded, handing him the cup she’d already made, expecting his answers, and then, she set a tray of biscuits and finger sandwiches on a nearby table.

She asked if they required anything else before exiting the room, stumbling slightly as she pushed the cart out of the room, giving a final look about the library, before closing the door behind her.

The countess stayed silent, stirring her tea as she watched the maid leave

“You have a good staff. Very loyal. It’s important that one’s subordinates remain on a tight leash,” she finally said, snorting under her breath as if she’s said something funny.

She takes a sip of her tea.

And proceeds to spit it back into her teacup with a disgusted retch.

Like an uncultured savage.

“It’s so bitter!” she cried, scrunching her face.

Desperately, she reached out for the tray of biscuits, shoving them into her mouth with a moan of relief. Her cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel as stray crumbs fell from her lips.

Ciel watched the display with wide eyes, wondering _just where the hell this woman came from._

She slammed her tea cup down on a nearby table, glaring at it with her puffed up mouth full of biscuits.

Ciel took a sip of his own tea, warily, briefly wondering if Baldroy had attempted to poison them.

…

It was fine.

Actually, it was good.

It wasn’t quite as strong as he liked it, but still rather delicious. Earthy. It curled around his tongue with a warm, almost buttery sweetness. It wasn’t bitter at all.

“It’s sweet?” Ciel asked, not really wanting to continue this conversation at all.

She held up a finger, chewing her biscuits and swallowing them, before answering, “Not sure if he told you, but we process taste differently than you humans. It’s very irregular, which is why we don’t really try it too much. But I like to consider myself adventurous.”

Ciel blinked.

_Again with the human thing…_

 “Pity,” he answered, unable to come up with a better response.

And Ciel wasn’t quite sure what caused it, what the shift was, but the woman suddenly took another step towards him. And this was the one that finally closed the gap between them. If she took another step, they’d be toe to toe.

Ciel, despite how much he hated it, had to crane his head in order to look at her.

And then, the woman reached out, stroking the pad of her thumb right over his eyepatch. Something no one had done. Had gotten to do. Except for Sebastian. Ciel suppressed whatever emotions were trying to express themselves, squashing them ruthlessly before they got a chance to make a sound.

“You have such beautiful eyes. Such a deep blue. How terribly unfair that he placed your contract on your eye,” she cooed.

_How does she know? Did Sebastian… No, is she a shiagami?_

Ciel attempted to jerk his head out of her grasp, only to find he was trapped in an iron grip.

She was still smiling, petting his hair, “He can be mean sometimes, no? That demon… Forcing you to hide it away, appear scarred. I’ll tell him off for you, when he gets back.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I know he can be intimidating sometimes, but he’s a huge nerd- I promise.”

 _Not safe_ , Ciel abruptly realized, that he was going to die, if he didn’t do something soon. She was talking in riddles in an attempt to throw him off and it wasn’t going to work.

He wasn’t the Queen’s Watch Dog for nothing.

While his head was still incased in her hands, unable to move, he still had his hands, and he pulled out his pistol, pressing the head firmly against her ribs.

“Let me go. Or I will shoot you,” Ciel ordered.

She gave him a confused look, before flicking her eyes down and seeing the pistol.

And then, suddenly, immediately, she let him go, letting Ciel stumble away, who practically fell over himself in a hurry to get away. He took several steps back, holding his gun firmly in front of him, clasped between both of his hands.

“Oh dear. Is that a gun?” she asked, squinting at him. And then, preposterously, she set her hands on her hips, and clucked her tongue, “I don’t think you should be handling that. You could hurt yourself.”

_What in hell is wrong with this woman._

 “Don’t move, or I will fire,” he stated, voice raising in frustration. He’d stopped being able to process the words that came out of her mouth.

Her concerned expression didn’t falter, and she took a step towards him, her huge skirt swung left and right like a bell.

“Stop,” he repeated.

She didn’t listen, reaching out for him as she took another step forward.

And then, out of options, Ciel fired, aiming for the woman’s slim waist. Knowing the bullet would probably miss major arteries and organs, though she might have some trouble digesting food later- she’d be alright.

And then his hands were empty.

Alani was holding his gun and displaying the fired bullet in an open palm, completely unharmed. “Look! You accidentally fired it. What if it had hit you?”

Ciel blinked. The pieces suddenly clicked into place, and he realized _what she was._

Demon.

She was a demon.

_He’d been talking to a demon._

Ciel stood up, glaring, as he took off his eyepatch, “It was aimed at you.”

“Thankfully.”

“Sebastian,” Ciel called, as he unveiled his eye.

There was a burst of light and soft wind.

Warily, Ciel opened his eyes to see Sebastian standing in front of him. The butler seemed irritated.

“Are you alright, my Lord?” Sebastian asked him, softly patting his clothes, checking for injuries. “You’ve had quite a fright, haven’t you?”

“I’m _fine._ Deal with her, Sebastian,” Ciel ordered, panting, adrenaline rushing in his veins.

Sebastian nodded, standing up to face the woman. “And you- was this truly the best first impression you could come up with?”

The woman’s eyes twinkled, as she pouted playfully, “I’m the Secretary of State, not cultural relations, Darling.”

“Regardless, you’ve had how many terms in the President of Hell’s cabinet?” Sebastian asked, crossing his arms.

_President of Hell? The worst place in the universe is a democracy?_

Wincing, Alani sheepishly admitted, “Six”

Sebastian scoffed, “One hundred and twenty years in office and you still don’t remember basic human social cues?”

“I tried my best, okay?” she dramatized being offended, placing a hand to her chest and another on her forehead, “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a proper vacation? Nearly a century _._ ”

Sebastian cocked a hip and resting his weight on one leg as he crossed his arms. “Ironically enough, that’s about how long we’ve been mated. Though, I suppose I should consider it a miracle, you remembered something today, at least,”

“Ouch. Of course I’d remember our anniversary,” the woman said. Going silent for a moment, she looked Sebastian over, as if she was seeing something else, inspecting some invisible thing surrounding Sebastian, and then her eyes widened in genuine shock.

“You’re mad at me.”

Sebastian didn’t respond.

“Is it because I’ve been busy? Have you missed me?” she cooed, walking towards Sebastian with out-stretched arms.

Ciel watched with wide eyes, as Sebastian let himself be pulled into a hug; Alani wrapped one arm tightly around his waist while her other hand softly petted his hair. The demon butler let it happen, even lightly clasping his arms around her thin waist.

Ciel got the sense he was missing something.

And somewhere in the back of his mind, Ciel realized she was an inch taller than Sebastian.

With a slightly muffled voice from his face being pressed into her shoulder, Sebastian corrects, “Because you’ve been neglecting me.”

A soft whine, like a call from a needy kitten, came from Alani, who hugged Sebastian tighter, before pulling them both backwards. The pair fell onto a couch, flopping onto the cushions, and the sharp sounds of fabric ripping indicated Alani’s beautiful dress hadn’t survived the fall.

Sebastian still had a somewhat stoic expression on his face, but Alani had a soft, love-struck expression on her face. It still didn’t quite look right, but now it was less about the expression and more of how it fit on her face.

She climbed on top of Sebastian, settling herself on his lap with eager jump, a large rip in her skirt scandalously displaying her legs.

 _I knew she was a savage,_ Ciel muttered in his head.

Softly, she reached out and palmed his face, “I’m sorry for being a terrible mate. May I give you your anniversary present?”

Confused, Sebastian nodded.

She smiled at him, placing her other hand on his shoulder, as she whispered, “I’m not running for another term.”

Sebastian blinked, “You’re retiring?”

She laughed, playing with Sebastian’s hair, clearing reveling in his surprise. “Not permanently- I still need to support my mate, but… Yes, I’m going to pull out of elections for a long time.” The way Alani preened, she seemed so _proud_ , as if she took great pleasure in giving Sebastian this.

Sebastian smiled, flashing his teeth, “I didn’t get you anything.”

Alani giggled, moving as if she was about to kiss the other demon, and that was when Ciel had enough.

Because, he was not going to tolerate such… _barbarity_ to take place in his library.

“Excuse me,” he coughed, blushing furiously, clacking his cane against the floor several times.

Both demons turned, looking at him with slightly curious, mostly sheepish expressions, as if they’d completely forgotten about him as they went through enough dramatics to make Shakespeare’s head spin.

“Oh. Whoops.”

Sebastian stood up from the couch, lifting Alani to his feet as he did. They both stood in front of him, a united front, looming over two feet above his short frame.

“My Lord,” Sebastian bowed slightly, “Apologies. May I introduce my mate.”

“In human terms, I suppose I’m his husband,” Alani adds.

“Wife,” Sebastian corrected, “Remember, genders affect speech on this planet.”

Alani scrunches her nose, almost stomping her nose in irritation, “You humans have to make everything so confusing. Why the hell does it _matter_?”

Ciel paused, confused at what to say in response. “Nice to meet you.”

Alani cooed again, “See? Sebastian he’s so polite, isn’t it adorable?”

Sebastian merely looked at Ciel with a ‘ _why do you do this to me_ ’ expression.

Ciel smirked, widening his eyes slightly in an effort to appear even more weak and precious.

Alani practically squealed, gathering up the boy in her arms, rocking him gently. She smelled like peppermint, strong, sickly sweet peppermint.

She petted his hair, “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. All joking aside, I _am_ a tad out of practice with current human etiquette. Commanding a war for fifty years will do that to you.”

Ciel refused to react, no matter how much he wanted to spit out his tea and spew it across the room at the idiotic idea of her being a-

“You’re the general of hell?” Ciel asked, his voice coming out faint and distant.

Sebastian smiled, clearly full of pride, “Secretary of State. Our generals only command certain sectors, she coordinates all aspects of our military.”

Alani waved it off, “It really is more boring than it sounds. Trust me. It’s not that great. Just a lot of meetings and staring at maps.”

Ciel blinked, “Okay. Regardless.” He attempted to get himself under control, smiling his typical host smile, “I hope you enjoy your stay at the manor. Will you be staying long? I couldn’t help but here something about a vacation?”

At the question, Alani jumped to attention, letting go of Ciel and staring out into the distance for a moment, but by the time Ciel sent Sebastian a questioning glance, she had already snapped out of it, looking at them with a frown.

“Oh dear. I’m sorry you two, I only had a few hours to spare. I’ve got to be getting back- I have a lunch meeting,” she explained, hands reaching out to affectionately squeeze both of them.

Alani looked down at her ripped gown, sighing, before snapping her fingers.

Suddenly, instead of that bright yellow gown, she was dressed in a clothing style similar to the reapers’. A similar thin black formal jacket, and instead of black slacks, she had a tight skirt that ended at her knees. Her shirt was a sheer, shimmery scarlet. On the breast of her jacket was a small pin in a bundle of small swirls, made from a dark chromatic metal that shone like an oil slick. Similarly, on her head, was a circlet of the same dark, oily metal, clearly a crown of sorts.

She smiled at both of them, blowing Sebastian a kiss, and then disappeared in a flash of blinding light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEMON FACT:
> 
> Hell is formed like the US government, which, let's be honest, is basically Hell anyway. 
> 
> So, Satan is president of Hell, and Alani is a member of his cabinet. Which, from that, one can assume Alani is a rather powerful demon with Satan's number on speed dial.


	2. Engagement Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alani shows up for breakfast. Sebastian gets some jewelry.

Nearly 6 months pass, with Ciel waiting with a mild amount of paranoia for Alani to show up again.

She doesn’t.

Instead, Ciel watches as Sebastian continues to act as if nothing happened.

Any questioning about Alani has Sebastian looking at him with a blank expression and speaking in enough riddles that Ciel gets the point. It was odd to see the demon so protective about something.

That is until, Ciel found himself escorted by Tanaka to an already occupied dining table.

Alani sat at the large, estate dining table, looking exactly as Ciel had remembered her. Caramel skin, dark curly hair piled on top of her head, sharp bones and curved edges. She was wearing a white gown with an intricate flower pattern dyed into the fabric, detailed beading emphasizing the pattern. It was strapless, but Ciel had decided to ignore the woman’s scandalous oddities.

“Oh, hello, dear one!” she greeted, standing up from her chair to greet him.

She walked towards him with a certain sturdiness, making it clear that even though she was preoccupied, it would take nothing short of a cannon to knock her over.

“Hello, again,” Ciel answered, somewhat reluctantly.

Too quick for him to object, she leaned down and scooped him up, sitting him on her hip, spinning them playfully. The strong scent of sickly sweet peppermint hit Ciel’s nose, as her freezing hands brushed through his hair and pressed against his back.

“My, have you grown taller? Your eyelashes are a bit longer.  Ooh, what an adorable thing you are,” she cooed, pressing her nose to his cheek, “And you smell even _better_ than before.”

Ciel refused to squirm in her grip, no matter how cold her hands were.

There was something distinctly maternal about her, Ciel had to admit. The feeling went deeper than just the coddling she was assaulting him right now; there was a softness to her eyes, as if they were forgiving, unwavering pools of emotion.

“ _Vitya,_ let him down _._ ”

Ciel turned to see Sebastian in the doorway, looking at them with an exasperated expression.

Alani’s arms went slack, allowing Ciel to slip out of her embrace.

Almost blurring from view, Alani ran towards Sebastian. When they collided, Sebastian was knocked to the ground with Alani landing on top of him, nuzzling his nose with her own.

It was odd to see the demon physically manipulated by an outside force. Ciel had expected Alani to bounce off of Sebastian like a rubber ball against a concrete wall. Processing that there were, in fact, two concrete walls in his life would get some getting used to.

“ _Vitya,_ I’ve missed you so much, Darling” she squealed, a sharp grin spreading across her face.

Sebastian didn’t respond, just sighing exasperatedly and brushing a hand against her cheek. Alani seemed to glow underneath the attention, pushing against his hand and closing her eyes contentedly.

“Did you miss me?” she asked, teasingly, but softly, as if she was scared of the answer.

“I’m still quite cross with you.” The words were firm, with no room for interpretation.

Alani deflated. “Yes, of course-”

“ _However_ , I may have missed your presence… mildly.” The butler looked uncomfortable admitting it.

Alani’s reaction, however, quickly overcame any awkwardness between them. Bursting with elation, she tugged him close, pressing their lips together in a kiss that quickly turned from a peck to an overly aggressive mauling. Her hands seemed to claw at his hair, while their teeth collided with audible clacks. Sebastian’s hands rested around her small waist, fingers overlapping as they clearly dug into her skin.

It was if they had no shame.

_Honestly._

Scoffing, Ciel turned away from the idiots on the floor, moving towards the dining table, where breakfast was already laid out.

Ciel sat in front of his expected portions of porridge, fruit, and tea, and looked out at the table, seeing an entire _assortment_ of pies, pastries, cakes, and candies.

_What the-_

_Oh._

Sebastian had likely made them for Alani.

Ciel hadn’t taken the demon as someone prone to mindless pampering, but perhaps it said more about Alani than Sebastian. After all, who would indulge in food in which they likely wouldn’t even enjoy?

_I, on the other hand, would adore a piece of that hazelnut twist._

Before Ciel could reach out to grab a piece of chocolate, Sebastian had appeared next to him, pouring out his tea. “Don’t even think about it, my Lord. Her body will not decay from eating unhealthy food. Yours however…”

“One piece will hardly do anything,” Ciel mumbled.

 _“You_ can hardly do anything,” Sebastian retorted, “Let’s not lessen your capability any further, shall we?”

Alani walked to the table, clothes and hair looking perfect despite the tumble on the floor. She rolled her eyes at the two of them, as she sat down.

“Honestly, Vitya? Like infants, both of you.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Ciel, like it was somehow _his_ fault that Sebastian felt comfortable back talking a thirteen year old.

Ciel decided to change the topic.

“You keep saying that.”

“What?”

“ _Vit-hua._ What does it mean?”

Alani smiled, “Oh. It’s a term of endearment. I’m not quite sure how to translate. It literally means legacy maker, but it’s only used to describe mates… I suppose you would say ‘father of my children’.”

Ciel blinked.

“You have children?”

A warm smile spreads across Alani’s face as she nods happily, “Yes. Two-”

Before she could finish, Sebastian cut her off with a stern, “ _Alani.”_

Alani didn’t even turn around, politely covering her giggles with a hand. At her somewhat playful smile and Sebastian’s hard expression, Ciel’s curiosity peaked.

“Oh, hush. You jealous thing.”

Sebastian simply repeated her name again.

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes, before looking firmly at Ciel, “My apologies. I _had_ two children, before Sebastian, dear, slaughtered them.”

It took Ciel a long second to process what she had said compared to the tone she said it in. She described her children’s murder the way a woman would say _oh, my husband forgot my mother’s birthday_.

Alani turned around to look at Sebastian, “Happy?”

At that, the demon walked forward, resting two hands on her shoulders. “Very.”

There was a satisfied, smug smile on Sebastian’s face, far sharper than his usual smirk, as if the demon took the utmost pride in killing her children.

“Honestly. Sometimes you’re very petty,” she pouted.

The demon quickly pecked her cheek.  

It was the first time Ciel had seen him offer Alani any affection of his own accord. Ciel couldn’t seem to connect the gesture to the Sebastian he’d come to know in the past two years. The butler didn’t offer any comfort that wasn’t ironic; every compliment had a backhanded slap accompanying it.

“That pitiful excuse for a demon couldn’t protect your offspring,” Sebastian hummed, picking up an empty plate from the table, “It’s not my fault you chose a weak mate.”

_There it is._

“Hey!” she shouted playfully, but Sebastian had already sauntered out of the room.

Ciel forced himself to sip his tea, before he asked, “Your children?”

Alani turned back towards him, a curious look on her face, looking him over before her eyes widened and she gave him a soft look.

“Oh, no. Don’t worry. I’m not upset. This kind of thing is expected. When Sebastian killed my previous mate, he proved that he could give me stronger offspring than the ones I had.”

She shrugged, taking a bite out of her pastry. “This way, I’ll be unencumbered by any previous commitments when we have _our_ child. Much better for everyone. Except for _Kiuhevwrle_ and _Laurhtrevi_ , I suppose, but they were brats anyway.”

“Right. So you aren’t upset?” Ciel asked disbelievingly.

Alani hummed, setting aside another empty plate, and reaching for the cherry pie. “Should I be?”

“They’re your _children._ ” Ciel stressed, tightening his grip on the delicate tea cup in his hand.

Alani gave him a firm look. “They were _weak._ ”

Incredulous anger bubbled in Ciel’s chest, the reminder of his childhood. The years spent in bed, the years spent with the very real possibility of death looming over him; his mother’s tears; his father’s strength. Despite the threat of asthma and his weak constitution, his parents had never abandoned him. Even though it would have been easy to ignore him and focus on Ciel, his parents had stood by him and supported him.

The very _idea_ that this woman could consider herself worthy of the same title as the late Countess Phantomhive.

She wasn’t a mother.

“So? I don’t see how that _matters_.” Ciel thumped his tea cup on the dining table.

Alani sighed, twirling her fingers carelessly, very clearly not interested in the conversation. “They would have died anyway, besides it’s a point of pride for demons, keeping _Kiuhevwrle_ and _Laurhtrevi_ alive would mean that we thought they’d be better than our _future_ children, which is simply not true. Besides, Sebastian _won_ me. To the victor go the spoils, and all that. I’d be a pretty poor prize attached to two children.”

Ciel opened his mouth to argue when-

Sebastian appeared again, refilling Ciel’s cup of tea, flashing a plastic smile, and clear message in his eyes to _leave this alone_.

“You would be a lovely prize, darling, no matter the state,” Sebastian threw over his shoulder, as he picked up more empty plates in front of Alani.

Alani dramatically mimed swooning, “My mate is so romantic.”

Sebastian scoffed, rolling his eyes, “One of us has to be, considering your idea of romance is abandoning me for decades.”

Alani pouted. “I said I was sorry. Besides- _Oh!_ I have a present for you.” Her eyes widened, and she clapped excitedly, disappearing for a second, before reappearing again right in front of Sebastian with a box.

Sebastian huffed, shaking his head, but accepting the box never the less.

Alani was literally bouncing on her toes in excitement.

The box slowly dissolved, the solid sides slowly dripping down Sebastian’s hands and plopping on the floor like liquid wax, and as it did, Alani chattered a mile a minute.

“So, Sector 29 has finally entered the purveying of Heaven and Hell, though there isn’t much there after the archangel’s decided to burn the existing life, because they weren’t _godly enough_ or something equally idiotic, _anyway,_ the region is full of black holes and dying stars, but they revolve around this…”

Her hands fluttered as she tried to explain, “It’s like a constantly reoccurring supernova. Hot enough to burn even one of the Congressmen. It was terribly difficult to get out, practically burned my aura to smithereens, getting it. But, at its center, was _this_ , and I know you hate using our sire’s mating bands, so…”

The box had melted away to reveal a string of glowing, opalescent _things_ the size of pearls _._ They looked like spheres of contained fire, pure white writhed and swirled amongst shining pastels. They were stars. Little, pearl-sized _stars_.

Sebastian slowly pulled it out, revealing twin strings of the odd fire pearls, long glowing green needles trailing along the sides of both of them.

“How long did it take for you to recover?” Sebastian asked, clearly admiring the jewelry.

“Three weeks,” she puffed up, as if it was something to brag about.

Sebastian blinked, looking at her with wide eyes, “Three weeks? For me?”

She nodded, grinning, “Of course. As if I would never give my mate a cheap band, you deserve the best, don’t you? Do you like them? They’re one of a kind, I promise. I made sure to destroy the rest.”

“They’re exceptional.”

She pecked his cheek, “So are you, my little mate. Would you like to go first?”

Sebastian nodded.

Alani tilted her head up, and Sebastian’s dug his long, black nails into her neck, mercilessly clawing into her skin, tearing it open, and pulling out a dully glowing black chain.

Alani was panting, eyes wide, hands clenched into fists. Her skin immediately started healing, closing the gaping wound in her neck, only for Sebastian to tear it open again, and wrap the string of stars around her neck.

The 2 inch long glowing needles slipped deep into her skin, like a twisted version of barbed wire, went into her skin, and the white fire pearls rested at the base of her neck. Her skin started healing the wound again, except the skin grew around the little stars.

Within seconds, her neck was back to normal, except for the pearl-sized stars, glittering starkly against her tan skin, like a set of paranormal piercings in the shape of a choker.

Slowly, Alani rolled her neck, breath loudly leaving her lips in a huff, before she looked at Sebastian with a beaming smile. Sebastian gently rubbed his thumb over one of the stars embedded in her skin, a complete 180 shift from the brutality he’d shown her mere moments ago.

“How do I look?”

“Like you’re mine,” Sebastian purred, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the piercing.

“My turn?”

Sebastian wordless tilted his own head up, to let Alani to the same to him, eyes fluttering closed as Alani tore open his neck and replaced their mating bands.

When Sebastian’s neck was gleaming with its own embedded stars, Alani squealed, jumping into Sebastian’s arms and raining quick pecks over his neck.

“You… Look so... _cute!_ Why… didn’t… we… do this… earlier?” she asked between kisses.

Ciel watched the entire scene unfold, both confused out of his mind, and also curious as all hell. It had been clear from the beginning that Sebastian was the much more reserved one of the two, but Ciel had to wonder.

The way Alani cooed over Sebastian, the way she provided, claimed to need to support Sebastian, how she was an inch taller, how she gifted the mating band _whatever that was._ All things led to Alani being the dominant one in their relationship, not only personality-wise, but in a societal, financial sense.

_Huh._

Ciel couldn’t imagine Sebastian submitting to or being dependent on anyone.

But then again, he couldn’t imagine the man allowing anyone to rip his neck open, and that just happened.

 _What even is my life?_ Ciel asked himself, as he went to take a sip of his tea, only to find his cup empty.

“Sebastian?”

Both demons turned towards him, they’d clearly forgotten he was still there.

“Yes, my lord?”

“I need more tea.”

 _Lord knows he wasn’t going to get through_ _24 more hours of_ _this without caffeine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEMON FACT:
> 
> As demons don't really have a currency, the value of gifts is often determined by how difficult they were to obtain. Nearly dying to obtain a gift is like buying really expensive jewelry and is considered very romantic.
> 
> Kudos give Ciel will to live.  
> Comments get Alani even more into PDA.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alani gets introduced to House Phantomhive.
> 
> It's kinda short, but after this, it'll be more spread out one-shots, so if you got something you wanna see, let me know in the comments!

Introducing Alani to the servants had been a rather anti-climactic affair.

Alani had sat back down, enjoying her treats, and Ciel had tried not to watch the way their necks glittered.

“So, you’re planning on staying for how long?” Ciel questioned.

“Indefinitely,” she answered, around a mouthful of pastry.

“Right, well, I expect you to contribute to the household,” Ciel clarified, “You’ll be staying here for free, and I expect some sort of payment.”

Alani blinked and then laughed. “I’m not going to masquerade as a servant, little one.”

Ciel sipped his tea, “I didn’t say you had to.

“Good.” The word was said through a smile, but it was toned with something darker; she was offended by Ciel’s suggestion.

However, Ciel wasn’t going to back down. The last thing he needed was another daily impediment. Besides, it was a way to ensure that Ciel was the one doing Alani a favor and not the other way around. If he let this go, she could very easily shift the status quo.

Sebastian stood behind her, a finger softly sliding across the pearls embedded in her neck; it was a calming gesture, Ciel assumed. Alani tipped her head back, allowing Sebastian easier access to the skin.

“I’m not submitting to a child, Sebastian. I indulge you in many things, but I do still have my pride, dear one.”

Sebastian’s eyes flicked to Ciel’s, mischief glittering in them, before turning back to Alani. His blunt nails grew out to legitimate claws, and he softly traced the edges of them around her neck.

“Of course not, Vitya.”

The demon leaned down cutely touching their noses together.

“ _But,_ I’m sure with your infinite knowledge, there is something you could teach the boy?”

Alani huffed, “There’s a great many things I could teach the idiot.”

Sebastian hummed, nuzzling their noses together, “Then perhaps? You could spend a bit of time? You’re going to be so very bored, darling, won’t you like something to fill your days?”

“I suppose I could use a pet project,” Alani sighed, batting Sebastian’s face away and sitting up straight.

Unflustered from the somewhat harsh treatment, the butler sent Ciel a wink, before walking out of the room.

Alani looked at Ciel, a reserved look on her face, but Ciel knew better than to think she was defeated. She cocked her head and drummed her long black nails against the table.

“I will… _teach_ you whatever lessons you’ll need in the coming years.”

Ciel raised an eyebrow, “Sebastian’s been a decent tutor.”

“Sebastian can teach you Latin. I can teach you a hundred ways to kill someone with a spoon.”

“That’s entirely untrue.”

The demon blinked, holding her serious expression for another moment, before a giggle escaped. “Yes, ‘yes. To be entirely honest, I’m not exactly which on is the ‘spoon’ and which one is the ‘fork’. Regardless, Sebastian and I have entirely different skill sets. I was a five star general for a millennia, now I’m a high ranked politician. I’m certain there are a few things I could teach you.”

“Alright.”

She did have a point; it wasn’t like Ciel was going to turn down a human with her sort of credentials.

“And I’m also going to keep that alibi. Countess Yelizaveta just rolls off the tongue so nicely.”

Ciel frowned, “But Countesses don’t just tutor-“

The doors to the dining room burst open, the bang cutting off Ciel’s words as the three servants excitedly bubbled in, only to freeze at the sight of Alani. The situation from a few months ago was still fresh in their minds; she was a threat or, at least, a potential one.

Smoothly, Alani stood up, demurely clasping her hands in front of her; a shawl, the fabric appearing out of nowhere, was wrapped around her shoulders, covering up the fact that her dress was scandalously strapless.

“Hello,” she grinned, bopping on her feet slightly, “You all must be the people that keep this manor running smoothly?”

_Running smoothly? Please. The manor is a broken buggy pulled by a three legged horse on a gravel road._

The wary servants, however, perked up at the compliment. “Yes, my Lady.” They all three chorused together.

“Yes. Well, I’m Countess Yelizaveta, though I’m sure you remember me from the entirely horrible mishap a couple months, ago?” Her voice was warm, but her eyes seemed to _water_ , as if she was moments away from crying.

“I hope we can put that behind us? My dear husband died recently and… I just had nowhere else to go. The previous Lord Phantomhive was a close cousin, and,” she sniffled, tears streamed down her face, marring the cheery smile on her trembling lips, “He was the only one who supported my marriage many years ago, when everyone else in the family disowned me. I do hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive my actions during grief.”

Ciel had seen a great many women cry in his life, but no one had ever looked so _beautiful;_ crying is an ugly action, pulling at your face in the oddest manner, making you look as _wrecked_ outside as you were on the inside.

This demon, somehow, managed to make every tear look despicable as it glittered down her otherwise perfect face; as if the tears were somehow marring her, and the only way to stop it was to stop her pain.

Predictably, the three servants _melted,_ cooing sympathy and liquid emotions as they all fell over each other.

“Oh, please, My Lady, of course, we forgive you.”

“House Phantomhive offers you our best hospitality.”

“I can’t imagine how horrible that was, I’m so sorry.”

Ciel watched on with unamused eyes, as Alani gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, as if she was overcome by happiness at their enthusiastic acceptance.

“I just… Thank you all so much,” she paused, holding her hands out, “Can I… Can I have a hug?”

Ciel groaned at the immeasurable breach in etiquette.

However, the servants ate it up, crashing into each other as they rushed into her arms. The four of them were a flurry of arms and welcoming squeals, rocking side to side in a ridiculous way that was probably meant to be reassuring.

Sebastian appeared in the corner of the room, smiling blankly at the happy group.

Eventually, the group disbanded, and Ciel took the chance to back up her story.

“The Countess will be staying at the manor indefinitely. I hope we can show her our special Phantomhive hospitality?” he asked, trying his best not to roll his eyes.

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Now, get to work. I’m sure Sebastian has already given you your assignments.”

As the trio bumbled out of the room, accidentally slamming the door closed, Ciel turned towards Alani.

The two demons were standing together; Alani with a smile and Sebastian with a small frown. The male demon was slowly and firmly rubbing his wrists against her arms and waist.

“You’re going to have to be careful around people.”

“Hush, dear. I’m not going to leave you for a human.”

A low growl rumbled across the dining room, nearly silent and slightly threatening.

_Is there a cat in here? Oh. Bloody- it’s Sebastian._

Said demon wrapped a firm hand around Alani’s waist, tugging her closer, his too-sharp teeth flashing between his lips. His wife looked rather amused, clearly finding Sebastian’s over-protectiveness cute than anything serious.

“You are nearing your _ryahth,_ ”

Just like the endearment, the word was hardly something Ciel could recreate with his own mouth; it resembled the sound of metal grinding more than a spoken word.

“I am very much aware, dear. It _is_ my body,” Alani smiled, swaying slightly, and manipulating Sebastian into an odd sort of waltz.

“Then you are aware that you’ll be _weaker_ in the coming weeks. It would be unfortunate for something to happen to you,” Sebastian stated, steel in his voice.

“I appreciate the concern, dear. So much. But you protecting me properly, means I don’t work around you. You work around me.”

Sebastian spun her around, making her skirt swirl dramatically before pulling her back to his chest; the modest shawl slipped from her shoulders and disappeared into nothing.

“Must everything be a power play?”

Alani laughed as Sebastian dipped her so low she was practically touching the floor.

“For you, darling? Always.”

The Earl waited for Sebastian to lift her out of the position, but instead they froze there, grinning at each other and their odd flirting.

Ciel sighed, “Welcome to House Phantomhive, Alani. Do make yourself at home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEMON FACT:
> 
> Female demons go through Ryath every century or so. It's basically a week of heat, and the demon typically feels increasingly clingy and 'hormonal' as it nears. It's a way for their body to ensure their mate will be nearby when they'll be vulnerable.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The servants woo Alani on Sebastian's behalf... It doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to divide this chapter into two, but then I decided to be merciful.
> 
> Also, if there's anything you want to see happen, let me know? I don't really have a huge plot arc in mind, so I'm kinda browsing for ideas right now.

It took nearly three weeks for the house to settle with Alani as a permanent resident.

She received the second largest rooms in the manor; the guest quarters in the left wing that Elizabeth used whenever she visited.

Alani had first marched over to Ciel’s room, desiring the largest rooms in the manor. Ciel has trailed behind her, clicking his cane against the hardwood, subtly demanding her attention. She ignored him, sniffing the air as she continued to find her way.

However, before she could even reach his rooms; Sebastian had stood in front of them, blocking the hallway.

Ciel watched, confused but relieved, as Alani smiled, “How can I indulge your desires today, Vitya?”

“I have already prepared rooms for you,” Sebastian said, the barest hint of a pout on his lips.

Alani beamed, bouncing over to Sebastian and pecking his cheek. “Well, I’d be honored to accept them, my little mate. Thank you for your care.”

Sebastian tucked a hand around Alani’s waist, leading her away to the largest guest rooms. Alani cooed over Sebastian as they walked away, brushing back his hair and plucking at his suit, gratuitously thanking the butler for looking after her.

_Oh, thank god._

—

Alani spent her first three weeks progressively getting more attached to Sebastian’s hip.

The first week, she had wandered around the manor and its grounds. Speaking to the servants, learning the functions of the estate, excitedly learning about her surroundings.

The second week, she had stayed inside the manor, subtly trailing Sebastian from room to room, dancing around and inspecting every book, antique, painting in sight.

The third week and she was practically stepping on his heels as he did his work. Oddly enough, however, all their interactions were rather chaste. The Earl decided he truly didn’t want to know why.

Eventually, he learned how to tune out Alani’s never-ending squeals and giggles.

The Countess while close by, wouldn’t touch Sebastian at all; instead running him through non-stop conversations about a wide range of topics from dreary to incomprehensible.

“Has silk production improved any? I wished to have a few dresses made during Cesar’s reign but, I got busy,”

“Senator Hystenlalde is getting on my nerves. It’s one thing to have a harem. Of demons, of humans, maybe, but banshees? It’s a hundred and twenty banshee’s, Sebastian it’s not small... Honestly, I just might have to kill her again.”

“You won’t believe what your sire did with our nest. I left her alone for just a decade, a decade, Sebastian, she completely changed the tone of all the runes. Every single one of the one billion, four hundred thousand runes. I don’t even know _how_ she did it.”

They’d go back and forth all day, just chatting.

Sebastian would continue on with his tasks, replying in his usual polite monotone, occasionally sighing in exasperation but still turning his body to face her. Alani, pointedly refusing to help, would cheerfully switch from subject to subject, rocking on her heels and gazing at Sebastian with a besotted look on her face.

It was odd, as Ciel knew the couple wasn’t opposed or unfamiliar with public displays of affection, but he simply counted his blessings and remained mum about the odd behavior.

However, it didn’t take long for the servants to notice Alani and Sebastian’s… relationship.

At first, it was just Finnian, watching Sebastian and Alani enjoy each other’s company in the garden. Sebastian was tending to the fountains, and Alani stood behind him, tucked underneath a parasol. Alani was laughing, pretty much bent into two from the force of it. Finny watched on with a smile, happy that the new guest was able to find some happiness.

Then, it was Baldroy, watching Sebastian make dessert after dessert for hours on end, for absolutely no reason other than ‘ _our guest enjoys sweets_ ’. What seemed like a rather nice welcoming, became rather odd, as it continued week after week, for every single meal. Baldroy was left blinking in confusion, unsure why the butler was taking such a personal interest.

And then it was Mey-Rin, waking up earlier than usual to clean the rifles on the roof, only to watch wide-eyed as Alani emerged from Sebastian’s rooms. The Countess was wearing the gown she wore yesterday, and showed no signs of sleep deprivation, _meaning_ they had slept together, in the same bed, all night. The maid waited until she was back in her own room to scream into a pillow.

\---

“I’m worried about Sebastian,” Mey-Rin admitted.

The three servants were sitting at the servant table in the kitchen, eating dinner. It was late, and the Master has gone to bed an hour ago. This was their time to regroup after a long day’s work. They didn’t _exactly_ gossip, but they traded stories and tidbits about everyone and everything.

After all, having an uneven spread of information during an emergency could be, at best, inefficient or, at worst, lethal.

But mostly, they were just bored and tired and needed entertainment.

“What do you mean?” Finny questioned, starting on his fourth serving of the night.

Mey-Rin sighed, taking off her glasses, and pulling her headband out of her hair; she’d tried a new headband today and it had dug into her head all day long. “Him and the Countess.”

Baldroy groaned, immediately understanding what the maid was alluding to, “I just don’t understand why he likes her so much.”

Quickly swallowing, Finny answered with wide, innocent eyes, “Well. That’s obvious, I thought. She’s very pretty and very nice. And so  _happy_.”

At the word ‘happy’, Baldroy straightened, pointing his knife at the other two. “See,” he shouted, eager to prove his point, “She’s nice. One of them bubbly, fairy types. And our Sebastian is as welcoming as a sacrificial bonfire.”

The maid just nodded at his point; her sharp eyes looking up as she mentally flicked through all the couple’s interactions.

Alani was clearly very interested in Sebastian, always hanging close behind him, keeping him in conversation, smiling and laughing at the butler. Though, she was polite enough to respect the man’s boundaries and never touch him. It was obvious that the Countess was actively trying to woo the butler.

Sebastian was much harder to read. While he’d always given priority to his work, the butler never turned down her advances, entertaining her conversation and slowing himself down enough to let her comfortably follow him around the manor. Every one of Sebastian’s smiles were precious, and Mey-Rin had seen more of them this week than the entire year.

But, Mey-Rin could hardly forget the tears the Countess had shed during breakfast, how swiftly and easily they’d appeared. She’d looked absolutely heartbroken from the loss of her husband, and no one could recover from that depth of hurt so quickly.

“Well, it’s clear that the Countess is still mourning her late husband, no matter how happy she seems. And Sebastian is a very handsome man,” Mey-Rin tried, frowning at the ill-fitting explanation.

Baldroy scoffed, waving his knife around as he spoke, “What kind of grief would make her that desperate? He’s a butler for Christ’s sake.”

Sighing, Mey-Rin ran a hand through her hair, knowing Baldroy did indeed have a point and throwing away her hopes to realize the bleak situation.

“Well, she’s hardly lowering her standards, Baldroy,” Mey-Rin admitted, “All things considered, Sebastian is a great choice for an affair. He’s far away from London and polite society most of the time. He had no title, no way to tie her down. And Sebastian’s reputation is far too intertwined with the young master’s to cause a scandal… She’s never going to marry him.”

While Baldroy nodded, Finny gasped, affronted at the maid’s words. He was shaking with outrage, glaring at his two coworkers with teary eyes. The Gardener stood up from the table; his chair crashing to the floor behind him.

“How _horrible_ of you to say. Sebastian is an amazing man. He’s patient, caring, and intelligent. He keeps this house together, and we’d be lost without him. Anyone would be _lucky_ to have him, and if Alani doesn’t realize that then she shouldn’t have him _anyway_.”

The maid and the cook exchanged looks, before quickly standing up and wrapping Finny in a tight hug. Mey-Rin tucked the younger boy into her arms, and Baldroy loomed over both of them protectively; the two of them comfortingly rocked the younger boy.

While the servants considered the entire manor a part of their family, there was something about just the three of them, a sort of bond. The kind between soldiers that surpasses petty arguments and disputes- they’d die for each other and the rest was trivial.

“Of course, Finny. We all love Sebastian.”

“It’s just, Alani hasn’t known him as long, so she might not know how lovely he is.”

Finny quieted, taking comfort in the Cook’s and Maid’s arms as the twitchy tension slowly left his limbs. As the Gardener’s high-strung emotions calmed, he felt the strong urge to make the situation right, to help the man who’d quite literally saved his life.

After cocking his head for a moment, Finny shouting, “That’s it!  We just have to show her what a catch Sebastian is.”

There was a second of hesitation, where Mey-Rin and Baldroy wondered if they were really going to indulge Finny’s request. They both loved Sebastian, but they knew the butler wasn’t one to share his personal life and this most definitely fell underneath that large umbrella.

The two of them sighed, knowing that they couldn’t deny the little ball of sunshine anything.

“Let’s do it,” she grinned, pressing a soft kiss to Finny’s forehead.

Baldroy ruffled his blonde hair before stepping back to light a cigarette, needing the nicotine to dull his anxiety at the upcoming endeavor, “Alani won’t know what hit her.”

—

Bright and early the next morning, Mey-Rin and Finny left to buy a gift to give Alani on Sebastian’s behalf. They knew Alani was enamored with sweets, so they took two horses to a master chocolatier four hours away in London.

Why London and not just the closest large town?

Because Finny _insisted_ on buying the chocolates he saw last time they were in London, no other specialty chocolates would do. It had to be those specific sweets.

They arrived in the city, only to realize there were several master chocolatiers that fit Finny’s description, so they had to go to each shop, look around, and see if it sparked the Gardener’s memory. Except, Finny really didn’t have much of a memory of the shop so much of the chocolate so, it was rather a tedious process.

The first shop was too dark and dingy.

The second didn’t smell right, maybe?

The third could be right, but even if it was, Finny didn’t like it.

The fourth was much too bright and expensive.

The fifth… yes, this was the one.

The Maid sighed in relief when Finny told her they were in the right place; she had been ready to scream in frustration. They’d spent three hours just walking around in chocolate shops; she hated being so un-useful.

Finny, however, perked up even further after finding the right shop, bouncing from display to display, marveling at the wide array of chocolates.

The owner stayed back, watching the two of them with wary eyes, knowing from their speech and manner that they weren’t exactly rich, and prepared to catch them red-handed in stealing.

The maid didn’t mind.

She could have easily adopted a manner of noble speech, effortlessly shifting her posture and removing her glasses to make herself into someone who fit in. She could have stormed into the shop with the air of an heiress, making demands and having people falling at her feet, _despite_ her cheap clothes and short hair.

Finny, on the other hand, was incapable of pretending to be anyone but the bright-eyed dear heart that he was, and Mey-Rin was hardly going to distance herself from him in public just to make social interactions easier. If behaving like a country bumpkin would envelop Finny in some comfort and familiarity, she’d do it.

The Maid protected her own after all.

 A loud exclamation broke her staring contest with the owner.

“This one. Mey-Rin, it has to be _this box_ ,” Finny shouted, pointing at the glass with sparkling eyes.

She grinned, nodding and picking up the box, with an indulgent smile.

It was a box of thirty, each piece about the size of a small pebble, and shaped into perfect hearts. Each sweet was a different flavor, ranging from exotic and bitter flavors like tamarind to sweet British staples like caramel.

“Then it’s this box we’ll get, won’t we?” she answered, looking at the owner, “How much?”

The owner smirked at her, sharp and sadistic.

Long story short- Mey-Rin spent half her monthly wages on that box of chocolates.

And after spending a fortune on a box of candy, she had another four-hour ride ahead of her to get back to the manor.

_Honestly, the things she did for the Phantomhive house._

\--

They got back at four in the afternoon.

Finny ran off to set the candy in Alani’s room.

The maid immediately threw herself into her daily chores, working double time to catch up on all her back-logged task, knowing she wasn’t going to get to bed until after midnight even if she worked non-stop.

Thankfully, Baldroy had done his best to pick up Finny’s slack, so the young boy would still be able to sleep at a decent time, even if he’d have to skip his free time in the evening.

The three servants exchanged smiles the rest of the day, giggling as they watched Sebastian go through his tasks, Alani nipping close at his heels.

It took forever, but finally the Countess has decided to return to her chambers, desiring a bath.

The three of them grinned, excited to see Alani’s happy reaction. Finny and Baldroy left to continue their chores in the kitchen, while Mey-Rin stayed, needing to finish dusting the room.

A minute later, the Countess came back into the room in a storm of tears.

Mey-Rin slipped out of the room, peeking around the doorframe to watch.

“ _Vitya_ ,” she whispered, voice wobbling pathetically, “Why?”

The Countess’s perfect raven hair was in tangled curls around her shoulders, tears haphazardly trailed down her face. Her gown seemed to flutter, oddly translucent like it was moments away from vanishing. Her skin seemed tight, bony, as if she’d somehow lost 20 pounds, emphasizing by her shaking limbs.

The servant watched wide-eyed as Sebastian immediately turned around, frowning.

“Alani?” he questioned, voice tightly laced with concern.

“This,” she pulled out the box of chocolates, throwing them at Sebastian’s feet.

Mey-Rin would have felt grief for her poor, wasted money, but it was quickly overrun with concern and confusion as the candy scattered across the floor.

“I’m not a cheap whore,” Alani whimpered, “I’m not. I can’t accept it. Please, don’t make me.”

Alani had her arms wrapped around her waist, holding herself tightly, like she could fall apart at the slightest touch. Her bony body was wracked with her harsh, shaky breaths. Her small waist that had previously looked beautiful, now reminded Mey-Rin of a cracked teacup, far too delicate to be experiencing any kind of motion.

Sebastian knelt down, slowly picking up the box, cautiously flipping it over and inspecting the contents, before glancing at the candy spread across the room. A second later, Sebastian tossed the box over his shoulder, shuddering like it was something despicable.

 “I’ll give you everything, but please, _please,_ don’t make me do this. All I ask for is your _Aegis_. I’m so sorry I’m a terrible mate, but, I c-can’t a-accept, be without, be without y-you.”

The word sounded like the high-pitched whine of metal scratching against stone and it made Mey-Rin’s skin crawl.

Alani began to hyperventilate, eyes going wide as her sharp claws clawed at her chest and her breathing caught in her throat. The odd beads in her neck started to glow, and Alani _swayed_ , about to crash to the floor, before-

Sebastian caught her, pressing her shuddering body against his own.

Even though Mey-Rin could have _sworn_ Alani was taller than Sebastian, somehow, right now, this minute, she was nearly half a foot shorter. The Countess was sobbing, clutching desperately at Sebastian’s clothes, fabric tearing underneath her nails.

“ _Vitya,_ ” Sebastian stated firmly, even though his eyes seemed to water with unshed tears, “I’m not going to leave you. _Ever_. My strong, worthy mate.”

Sebastian’s bright, fuchsia eyes were wide with concern. One hand was wrapped tightly around her neck, entirely covering the glowing beads in her neck, while the other was pressed against her back, forcing her shakes into submission.

“Have I ever, _ever_ , given you care that I hadn’t prepared with my own hands?” Sebastian questioned. His voice was tight, and he seemed angry, enraged, but the butler’s hands were soft, firm and gentle as they supported her neck and waist.

Alani whined against Sebastian’s chest, a pleading keen that sound more like a wounded cat than anything remotely human.

The shadows in the room seemed to grow darker, stretching across the floor and flickering with a murky depth. Mey-Rin shivered as the air suddenly dropped to a chilly temperature.

“My mate _protects_ me. My mate _provides_ for me. My mate has worked tirelessly for a century, _pining_ for my touch for decades, _depriving_ herself of my care, just to make sure I could live in leisure. How dare you call her a terrible mate?”

His words were harsh, scathing, biting, but they somehow calmed Alani’s breathing.

The butler continued, features dark with anger, “I take the utmost pride in caring for my mate. In offering her my very best _Aegis_ and making sure she has a welcoming home to return to. I would _never_ insult you with that despicable excuse of a gift. I would rather burn in heaven than give you something I hadn’t crafted myself.”

The Countess had straightened slightly, her fingers releasing Sebastian’s clothes to wrap around the Butler’s neck. Suddenly, she was taller than Sebastian again, though she still looked weak, delicate, like a wind could bowl her over.

“Truly?” she sniffed.

The anger slowly leaked out of Sebastian’s eyes, expression growing soft, and his eyes brightening from fuchsia to a lighter coral pink.

“I killed a President’s Secretary for you. I’d slaughter the entire cabinet, if it would reassure you,” Sebastian cooed, pulling away to look Alani in the eyes, “How could I ever think anything but the world of you?”

Mey-Rin frowned, _when had Sebastian visited the Americas? And who in the bloody hell did he kill?_

Sebastian leaned forward, softly kissing the Countess, their lips met chastely, before Sebastian pulled away to softly nuzzle their noses together.

“You are my _pride,_ ” Sebastian whispered, a warm smile on his lips.

“And _you_ are my joy,” Alani answered, voice strong, reassured.

Then she pressed a kiss to the tip of Sebastian’s nose, soft, gentle, reverent. Sebastian’s eyes flared a bright pink, before dimming to his regular dark crimson.

“My mate,” Alani confirmed, pulling Sebastian closer again, “My beautiful, perfect mate. You can’t leave me.”

Sebastian grinned, flashing teeth at the compliment, before returning the intimate kiss to her nose.

“I do as my mate commands _._ ”

Alani paused, freezing for a second, before cocking her head, “Then, who gave me the chocolates?”

Sebastian pulled Alani into a hug, but his eyes-

His eyes flicked towards Mey-Rin, glaring murderously in her direction.

The maid’s heart pounded as she instinctively ducked behind the wall.

“That hardly matters, _Vitya_ ,” Sebastian answered, his voice grew fainter as the clicks of their shoes sounded farther and farther away, “I shall prepare you another bath. And then, I’ll start a batch of my own chocolates. And maybe a massage, hm? Human bodies can get so very tense…”

_What. The. Hell._

\--

That night, Mey-Rin had trudged to dinner with a blank face, flopping into her chair, and blinking when Finny assaulted her with questions about Alani’s reaction.

Baldroy, realizing something was wrong, pulled Finny back and let Mey-Rin breathe. The three of them sat in silence for ten minutes while she tried to find some words to describe what she had witnessed.

The Maid licked her dry lips, staring off into the distance, “We are never doing anything like that, ever, again.”

Finny jumped up, “Wh-”

“Quite right,” Sebastian replied, standing in the doorway.

The servants jumped in surprised, flinching at his silent entrance.

“The Countess has a widely different culture to our own. What you considered a gift, she considered an insult. You must take these things into account,” Sebastian explained in a hard tone, “Moreover, she is more emotional and sensitive than usual, because of an _illness,_ and you all have _aggravated_ it with your careless actions.”

The butler’s eyes grow flinty, looking at each servant coldly, “You are not to make any more assumptions. You are to treat her kindly and with respect. She is not to shed another tear while she is in this house, am I clear?”

“Yes, Sebastian,” the servants chorused.

“As for your actions, I am confused what exactly you were thinking.” Sebastian’s voice was chiding, almost motherly, though his arms were crossed and his eyes were still dark.

The three of them were silent.

It was horrible when Sebastian got like this; it made every mistake seem like they had personally offended the butler.

“Well?”

Finny cracked first, blurting out, “We wanted the Countess to fall in love with you.”

Sebastian let out a soft laugh; his eyes warming to something genuinely affectionate, and he nodded, recognizing their concern. “I appreciate your concern very much; however, let me assure you, the Countess loves me very much. I want you to promise that you won’t interfere with our relationship any further.”

“We promise,” the servants chorused again.

The butler nodded, turning to leave, before pausing, “Mey-Rin?”

“Yes, Sebastian?” the Maid asked, wondering if the butler was going to punish her.

“See me tomorrow morning. I want to talk to you about something,” Sebastian said over his shoulder before walking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEMON FACT:
> 
> Aegis means support. Submissive demon mates keep their protectors happy and provide them with intimate homes. The more effort and time a submissive demon spends on their Aegis, the more they appreciate their partner's protection. Offering Aegis prepared by another's hands is the equivalent of asking for an open relationship. 
> 
> Kudos make Alani even more emotional.  
> Comments make everyone just a bit more confused.
> 
> Anything specific you want to see happen? Let me know in the comments!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantomhive house has another visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm back!!!  
> Okay, I tried out a different POV, since none of the other servants saw this happen.

Ciel hummed, looking at the chess board, desperately trying to find a move that would hinder Alani's checkmate for a few more moves, but there wasn't anything he could do. Alani had him trapped.

"Good job," she smiled. Her voice was comforting, but her eyes glittered with happy narcism, "Really, five minutes is a long time against a demon. I can think exponentially faster than you dear."

Ciel huffed, "Please. I haven't been defeated this quickly since I was a child."

The demon giggled, reaching out to ruffle Ciel's hair, "You're still a child, dear one. Now let's play again."

\--

Alani had begun playing chess with Ciel.

She had walked up to his desk one day with an intricate, pearlescent chess set. The pieces were almost foggy and so very light as if they were made out of clouds, but she didn't seem fazed by the oddness of the set, so Ciel tempered his reaction as well.

"Chess? That's the best the General of Hell can do?" the Lord Phantomhive asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ay!" she chided, slapping the top of Ciel's head, "I'm the Secretary of State. And while humans are quite dumb, I do enjoy this particular game. It's quick and fairly simple. Besides, you said you were the best player you knew, so I'd like to see your skill level."

_Quick and fairly simple._

_Chess?_

"Very well," Ciel sighed.

He didn't exactly expect to  _win._ Ciel wasn't an idiot. However, he didn't expect to be bested within five minutes... Multiple times.

\--

Sebastian walked into the room, or perhaps he'd been there the entire time, Ciel wasn't sure. Alani had stopped trailing after Sebastian, and, in turn, Sebastian had started trailing after Alani. He was much more subtle than Alani had been, but much more pathetic, literally just watching her from corners of the room, silently analyzing her motions like some kind of pervert.

"Perhaps go a little easier on him,  _Vitya_ _?_ " Sebastian questioned, a smirk audible in his tone, if not visible on his face, "There's no way for him to calculate probabilities the way you do. It's simple math for you, but he's trying to create an intricate strategy. Use a human mind for a moment."

Ciel narrowed his eyes at his butler, who was basically implying that Ciel was an idiot, though, he supposed, that likely wasn't far from the mark in the face of a hundred-year-old demon.

Alani narrowed her eyes, looking at Ciel with sharp eyes for a few silent seconds, before jumping out of her seat and clapping her hands together. "We're done for today, but tomorrow, I'll play against you with human capabilities, yes?"

"What's the catch?"

The demon smiled innocently, tilting her head silently that was so utterly reminiscent of Sebastian that Ciel had to blink, "No catch. Just inform me when you'd like to play, as you know, my days are free."

\--

The next day, right after breakfast, Ciel called Alani to play chess.

The demon smiled, rising from the breakfast table and following him back to his study; her large blush-pink gown swishing against the floor, setting a beat for Ciel's wary heart.

The Lord Phantomhive knew everything had terms and conditions, and he would be prepared for whatever Alani threw his way. 

"This will be fun, I think," Alani commented, moving her pawn.

Ciel narrowed his eyes, but stayed focused on the game.

"So how does this work?" Ciel asked, when they were a couple moves in and he still hadn't lost.

"As a demon I can calculate thousands of potential outcomes in the fraction of a second. It turns into arithmetic instead of strategy. Taking away my ability to process such information sets us on evener ground."

Ciel nodded, pretending that made sense.

-

An hour later, Ciel was near winning, when Sebastian knocked on the office door. "My lord? Did you lock the doors?"

Ciel frowned, getting up and walking towards the door, "I don't believe so." Ciel unlocked the door, before returning to the chess board to finish his turn, only to realize that a few pieces had been moved around.

Alani looked at him, a smirk on her face, "Come on, it's your turn."

"You moved the pieces."

"You were the one who left your opponent alone with the board. It's your own fault really."

—

The man standing at the doorstep immediately set Tanaka at ease.

With a bright, angelic smile and soft features, the man looked rather adorable, definitely not someone that would have Tanaka concerned.

The man was handsome, gorgeously so, with glittering Asian eyes and glowing skin, offset with honey-blonde hair curling over his forehead. The man wasn’t short, but he was definitely slight, especially compared to the towering figures that inhabited the Phantomhive manor. There was a certain  _prettiness_ to him, despite his hard jaw and prominent cheekbones; his lips were plush and his slanted eyes were just a tad smoky. He held himself confidently, but crossed his hands in front of himself, as of aware of his own delicate appearance.

In an expensive navy suit, with coral-pink embroidery and baby-pink silk, the man was both imposing and oddly feminine in a way Tanaka wasn’t exactly sure how to process.

When the door opened, the stranger's eyes had widened in innocent surprise at the loud creak of the door, before he shook it off and looked at Tanaka, bowing briefly at the waist. Oddly enough, Tanaka noticed the man also subtly crossed his legs, as a woman did in a curtsey. 

”Hello,” the man greeted, sending a beautiful, beaming smile Tanaka’s way, “I'm sorry for showing up unannounced, but I was looking for a dear friend of mine. Countess Yelizaveta, I do believe you her as?”

His voice was lilting, musical and not particularly high, but not entirely masculine either; he had the same pseudo-Russian accent that Alani did.

Tanaka nodded, glancing behind the man to check for a carriage, already knowing that there wouldn't be one, before stepping aside and allowing the man to come in.

It was almost adorable the way the stranger moved, rocking on his heels once, before stepping into motion, taking quick, bouncy steps inside, sending Tanaka a grateful look. Unlike both Alani and Sebastian to have an odd stiffness to them, he was almost jittery, childish, in the sense that every movement flowed into the other, and the man never quite stopped moving.

”Beg your pardon, but as we weren’t expecting you, it’ll be a moment before the Countess will be able to entertain you,” Tanaka explained as he began moving towards the library, “If you wouldn’t mind waiting for her in the library.”

”Not at all,” the man chirped, “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

Tanaka nodded, before leading the way upstairs, towards the library.

The stranger walked behind Tanaka in a reassuringly human way. His feet tapped out against the marble in lulling rhythms, faster, then slow, stopping briefly, and then rushing a few steps to catch up.

"Your master has a beautiful home," the man complimented, a bit of wonder tinting his tone.

Tanaka fought the urge to preen; rarely did guests appreciate the splendor that was the Phantomhive manor. Tanaka well knew the stranger was dangerous, but it was hard to remember when every couple seconds the man would stop and coo over something, asking Tanaka for explanations with wide-eyes.

"My that painting is gorgeous!"

"This vase... Where is it from? I've never seen anything like it!"

"How does one even make such a thing!"

Patiently, Tanaka offered brief answers, never needing much of an excuse to boast of the young Earl Phantomhive, feeling pride swell in his chest as the stranger nodded enthusiastically, complimenting the Earl's taste and the servants' hand in keeping it so lovely.

Once they reached the library, Tanaka opened the door and allowed the stranger to slip in first, which he did, ducking his head with a blush as he walked past the older man.

"Thank you," the stranger said softly, under his breath, as he entered the library.

It was almost timidly that the mad walked into the room, as if he wasn't quite sure how far inside he should walk, making it not farther than a couple yards before turning back to look at Tanaka with an expectant expression.

"Please, feel free to enjoy the library until the Countess make your company. The Phantomhive house apologizes for the less than perfect hospitality. Who should I say is expecting her?" Tanaka asked, attempting to be reassuring.

The stranger seemed so delicate; Tanaka was rather worried for the poor man. The Countess could likely break the man in half if she so desired.

Blinking owlishly, the man wet his lip, before answering with a smile, "A dear friend."

"A dear friend?" Tanaka repeated, somewhat unbelievingly.

Alani's _dear friend_  nodded, blushing slightly, making eye-contact, "That's correct."

Tanaka nodded, "I will let the Countess know, please make yourself comfortable."

\--

Tanaka let himself into the Earl's office, taking in the scene.

The Lord was hunched over a chess board, glaring at the pieces with hands clenched into fists. The Countess was seated across from him, an amused expression on her face as she read a book, waiting for the Lord to finish his turn. Sebastian stood on a ladder in the corner, dusting the higher shelves of the bookcase.

"Madame. My Lord," Tanaka greeted.

Ciel briefly looked up to acknowledge his presence before going back to pouting at the chess board; Alani, however, shut her book to look at Tanaka, as if she knew something had happned.

"What is it, Tanaka?" the Earl drawled, hardly paying any attention.

"The Countess has a guest. A dear friend, as he's calling himself," Tanaka explained, voice indicating his own confusion.

This finally appeared to grab the Earl's attention, clearly wondering what Tanaka himself was wondering, just  _who could be a friend of such an odd woman?_

However, as unaffected as ever, the Countess doesn't react seriously, sighing exasperatedly, before turning towards Sebastian. "Will you go?" she asked.

"Pardon?" Sebastian questioned, traces of anger lacing his tone.

Alani pouted, "I'd very much like to finish this game first. Besides, it's far more likely to be your kin, than mine."

"My kin is hardly a reassuring idea," Sebastian answered back, but he did slowly step down the ladder, obeying her order nevertheless.

Lips dipping down into a slight frown, Alani stood up walking across the room to aid Sebastian in getting off the ladder. The butler laid a hand on her shoulder as he took the final few steps, before turning towards her.

"You're safe here. You know that, don't you?" she questioned, cupping Sebastian's cheek.

The butler's eyes fluttered closed as he nodded.

"Perfectly safe. I've kept you safe for a century, Vitya, and I'll continue for another millennium. The energy is assuredly neutral _and_ a familiar, so I'm willing to guess it's your sire. Wouldn't you like a moment to speak, before I join you?" Alani cooed, "Wouldn't my Vitya like that?"

Sebastian nodded again.

"I thought so," Alani smiled, sliding her hand down to trace a finger across the pearls shining in Sebastian's neck, "Vitya's so good for me. Go on ahead. I'll be there in a moment."

"Yes, Vitya," Sebastian answered, lips twitching into a faint smile, before he stepped back, moving to leave the office.

"What do you do if you need help?" Alani called out, somewhat playfully at the sight of Sebastian's retreating figure.

"Feel it," Sebastian answered blandly, walking out of the room.

Once the door had firmly clicked shut behind the butler, Alani turned back towards Ciel with a smile, clapping her hands together, "Now then, let's finish this game, little one."

\--

Sebastian entered the library, curiously looking at the foreign demon standing in front of him.

"Ah," the Submissive commented, angelic voice sharp with mocking, "You must be the mate."

The slender demon leaned forward on the back of couch, blonde hair glinting brightly in the sunlight streaming through the window. His aura glowed with all the power that surrounded the demon, lazily swirling in artful curves, nearly as bright as Alani's. It was clean, pure, the mark of pure-bred nobility. 

Sebastian's writhing aura of purple and navy and magenta seemed rather  _chaotic_ in comparison, but it still shone significantly, edges sharp and opaque from combat.

The butler blinked, before smirking, "Hoping I was dead?"

Scoffing, the demon slid down to lounge on the couch, "I knew you were alive, the Secretary talked about you far too often for it to be otherwise. Though, it's not like we didn't _try_ to kill you."

"Not hard enough it seems," Sebastian smiled, pleased that Alani had cared enough to protect him so well.

The slender demon sighed, the sound filled with infatuation, "Please, she's so neurotic about her mates. At least with the last one, she kept the bitch cooped up in the family estate. You, we had no idea where the  _fuck_  she'd bundled you away."

"So how'd you manage to find me now?" Sebastian questioned, smirking, "It's not as if her neurotic tendencies have diminished."

At the question, the sub seemed to melt into the couch, eyes fluttering close, "She's nearing her _. I could sense it all the way down in hell. And I figure this would be the best time to replace you. Quick, easy, and permanent. And this way I won't have to strangle your baby, so that's a plus".

Though, I suppose it was less her overprotective bundling and you being a brat and running off."

"I managed to get past her neurotic tendencies," Sebastian flashed teeth, remembering just how pleasing it was to rip the throat out of Alani's previous mate, "Perhaps you ought to not overstretch your capabilities. One would _hate_ to see you get hurt."

The room seemed to get colder, as the other demon's eyes flashed dangerously, glinting with a bright scarlet visible from even across the room. Slinking off the couch, the feminine demon stood up, the shifting his weight to a hip, emphasizing subtle archs and curves along his body.

"I'm not the one hurt. That would be the Secretary, wouldn't it?" the demon purred.

"Pardon?"

The demon seemed amused at Sebastian's question, pulling his arms above his head to stretch, the barest sliver of smooth skin peaking out between the buttons of his shirt, before he settled into a relaxed stance.

"While you were here on Earth, tramping it up. Did you ever consider the sheer amount of stress you placed on her? Hm?" the demon pouted, cupping his own cheek,in a pose that both adorable and suggestive, "Poor thing. Draining herself to balance all of your protection runes from her own aura, while you were dozens of sectors away. She could have just enslaved someone else to do it, but she's a romantic at heart. It would have killed a lesser demon, you know, but the Secretary, she held up for decades, touch-starved and pining for you, all the while having to run a war campaign and maintain her position. She held out as long as she could, but,  _eventually... Every dom needs a sub."_ The demon cooed his final words, sounding far too smug for Sebastian's liking.

"If you dared to offer my mate any sort of care, I promise you will burn in the brightest circles of heaven," Sebastian whispered, his tone colder then the centermost circle of hell.

The other demon licked his lips, "Offer? I didn't offer. She  _asked_. Poor thing, her aura was so faded, but, don't worry, I made sure to give her more than enough skinship."

Sebastian growled, eyes flashing bright red, but he attempted to suppress his anger, knowing that it would have no point, except calling Alani to the room and letting the other demon know just how much of a sore spot that was.

"How pathetic," Sebastian spat back, "You cared for my mate, while she was acting in service to me. Are you really that desperate? That you'd fall to your knees for someone who barely gave you slips of attention."

And then the other demon smirked, looking at him with sardonic pity, "Barest slips of affection? Please."

And then he pulled up his sleeve to show a glowing chain embedded in his wrist, a sign of courting. Perhaps not a mating band, but far more than the bitch deserved, and like how said the words that had Sebastian moving to kill the damned thing.

The most anger he'd ever felt while on Earth flooded his chest. He had to remain composed for over a year, bland, as any rushes of emotion would immediately have alerted Alani to his distress. 

A small symbol glowed midair, right in front of his shoulder, and less than a second later, ice cold arms wrapped around Sebastian's waist, tucking him against her chest. 

Sebastian was quickly hidden away in Alani's arms as she growled protectively, a low unsettling rumble filling the space as she glanced around looking for a threat. Her skin grew colder, almost frigid, as her instincts to _protect her mate_ took over. Alani's hold on her human illusion weakened, making her skin flicker between a warm caramel and a pitch black. The air around her seemed too consolidated almost, glowing a deep red that matching her burning eyes.

Her eyes passed over the other demon once, as if brushing him off as a threat, but once she looked around the room and realized the lack of other demons in the area, she glared at the other demon, silently demanding that he not fucking move an inch, before she turned back to her own mate, who was writhing in her arms clawing at her hold.

"Hush, little one, I'm here," she cooed, petting his hair, "It's okay. What-"

"I'm going to kill him," Sebastian answered, voice filling with rage, clawing in the other demon's direction, "I'm going to tear him into pieces and then I'm going to feed him to you, and then I'm going to have you pine for a decade."

Alani tried pining Sebastian's arms down, but that only meant that he was trying dig his nails into her skin, which was a rather bad idea, since he was more likely to break his own nails than tear her skin.

"Calm, Vitya, my Vitya, please, you'll hurt yourself," Alani whispered, voice filling with concern.

When he didn't stop, Alani firmly wrapped a hand around his neck, pressing down on the mating band, forcing him to go limp.

Sebastian settled down, tucking his face in Alani's neck and clenching fistfuls of her dress in his hands, with slightly glazed over eyes, "Thank you, lovely. You're so good for me. Can you tell me what's wrong, Vitya? What can your mate do to make it better?"

"Mine. My mate?" Sebastian questioned, in a soft, innocent voice.

Alani frowned slightly, not expecting her mate to regress as much as he did. It was a sign of how much distress he had been in and just how desperately he wanted her protection.

Seeing her frown, Sebastian's eyes widened, a pathetic whimper leaving his lips. "Not... not mine? Please?"

Immediately Alani grinned, ruffling Sebastian's hair, before cupping his cheeks, "Of course I'm your mate. Only yours, my little darling. You're so perfect. So pretty. So caring, why wouldn't I want to be your mate, Vitya?" 

Then for extra measure, she pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, watching as a timid smile fluttered on Sebastian's face.

"He... He said not mine. He said his," Sebastain whispered, looking at the floor. 

Alani giggled, tipping Sebastian's chin, so he'd look at her, "No. He lied. Look, what I have around my neck, who's mating band?"

"Mine."

"Yours."

"So who's mate am I?"

"Mine"

"Good. Now, can you hold my hand, please?" Alani questioned, holding out her hand and wriggling her fingers.

Sebastian gently put his hand in hers, and Alani grinned, before finally turning to face the other demon.

"Now, Jiminie, what in the  _seven realms_ are you doing here?" Alani growled, "And what the fuck did you say to my mate?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did we think? Opinions about Jiminie?  
> There was a bit more emphasis on Alani's role in hell and things. 
> 
> Demon fact: Submissive demons can regress or go somewhat instinctual at their mate's command. Dominating demons can become excited or go feral at their submissive's command.


End file.
